Inquiry
by Draxis
Summary: A commander from Starfleet arrives on a fact-finding mission about the Founders, and Odo is at once excluded and central to the commander's investigation. Set shortly after Odo's shapeshifting powers were restored.


This story takes place roughly six months after Odo's Changeling nature was restored.

--

"You can leave now, Odo. I've been behind this bar for sixteen hours. I'm far too exhausted to even think about anything criminal." Quark stopped to gather the empty mugs at the table next to the booth Odo was hunkered down in. When the Changeling failed to respond, the Ferengi turned to look at him. "Well? Are you going to leave, or am I going to have to call security to escort you out? At least Morn goes home when I close up shop."

Odo stared at the polished surface of the table and remained silent, something that offended Quark's sense of what was proper. He was accustomed to being at the center of Odo's attention, and he discovered that being ignored by the Constable was strangely annoying. He thumped the mugs down in front of Odo, then sat across from him. "So what's wrong. By now you would have insulted my integrity at least six times. Could it be that you've finally realized that I'm a legitimate businessman? Is that what's eating you?"

Odo snorted. "Hardly." His gravely voice dripped with contempt, reassuring Quark that the Changeling's opinion of him was essentially unchanged.

Quark smiled as a thought occurred to him. "Or is it this Starfleet tactical officer that came aboard yesterday? I heard he's here to gather information about the Dominion. He's supposed to have a meeting with the senior staff today." Quark glanced at the clock behind the bar. "Why, isn't it going on right now? Why aren't you there?"

Odo's eyes snapped up, and the fierce glare he gave Quark made the Ferengi wonder if he had finally gone too far. But the Constable simply rose from the table and stalked out the front door onto the Promenade.

Quark sat for a moment, waiting for his heart rate to return to its normal pace. Then he chuckled softly to himself as he returned to the task of closing the bar. "Anything that can get under that stuff Odo calls skin is something I need to learn more about."

--

Commander Worf entered the briefing room, irritated that a last minute detail had kept him from being early. Captain Sisko sat at the head of the briefing table, and most of the command staff was seated around it. The visiting commander from Starfleet Headquarters was downloading files into the computer terminal in the table. If Sisko was bothered by Worf's tardiness, he gave no indication. "Commander Worf, this is Commander Banton from Starfleet Command's Tactical division. He's here to get our opinions to various strategies that Starfleet has been working on to protect the Alpha Quadrant from the Dominion."

Worf nodded brusquely in Banton's general vicinity, then walked over to his usual seat next to Dax. Banton looked up long enough to smile and extend a hand, but one look at the baleful expression on the Klingon's face was all Banton needed in order to return his attention to the terminal.

Sisko leaned forward, hoping to break some of the tension that permeated the room. "Commander Banton, your visit has come as something of a surprise to us. Normally Starfleet lets us know well in advance when someone is headed our way."

Banton smiled again, obviously thankful for at least one friendly face in the room. "Starfleet felt that it would be wiser not to advertise this meeting due to its nature. There are those who would find this meeting very informative, and have the ability to attend undetected."

Sisko nodded. "I understand. It wouldn't be the first time a Founder has interfered with Starfleet from within."

Banton's intensity level almost doubled. "Exactly! If the Founders learned about the possible defenses we're considering, they would undoubtedly develop ways to make them ineffective. This meeting must be completely classified."

Dax leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "Is that why you demanded that Constable Odo not attend? Do you consider him a traitor?"

Sisko rolled his eyes. He had expected this, but not this soon. He considered intervening, but decided that he too would like an answer to that particular question.

Banton shook his head. "That was Starfleet's call - not mine."

Major Kira jumped in. "That's ridiculous! I can't believe that after all Odo has done for this station, Starfleet has any doubts as to his loyalty!"

Worf's growl added to the growing clamor. "I agree. Starfleet is ignoring a vital information resource by excluding Odo from this meeting."

Sisko thought back to Banton's arrival the day before. The commander had arrived in a one-man high speed courier, contacting the station only minutes before docking. Then he had immediately requested a private meeting with Sisko. It was then that he explained Starfleet's information-gathering mission. Sisko had initially been eager to help. Anything that would assist them in defending the wormhole from a Dominion assault was a blessing. But then Banton had emphasized that Odo was not to be a part of the process, and Sisko balked. He trusted Odo implicitly, and it frustrated him that Starfleet still did not share his views.

Several admirals back on Earth had privately expressed concern over Odo's renewed changeling status shortly after Quark had sold him a sick baby Founder. Odo and Doctor Mora had struggled together for days trying to save the infant, but it had still been dying when it had merged with Odo, somehow reversing the punishment of the Founders and returning Odo's shape-shifting abilities. Sisko himself sometimes wondered how a baby Founder could so easily have found its way into the hands of the greedy Quark, but he had been willing to simply accept it as a gift that the universe had decided to bestow on Odo. Certainly the Constable's feelings toward the methods of his people hadn't softened.

When Dax had learned about Banton's request, she had stormed into Sisko's office and raged for nearly a half hour before her decades of experience allowed her to calm down. Sisko agreed that the condition was unfavorable, but he was painfully aware of Starfleet's hesitance to rely on Odo's allegiance to the 'solids' of the Alpha Quadrant.

Odo had, of course, been irritated and insulted by this latest slight from Starfleet, but he received the news stoically enough. Only a sharper edge on his already biting sarcasm betrayed the anger and hurt that he felt.

Now Sisko saw that the resentment Odo harbored was shared by all of his command staff to a far greater degree than he had initially expected, but it came as no real surprise to him. Odo had saved all their lives time and again, and for him to be banned from this meeting did not sit well with any of them. Sisko noted with mild annoyance that his normally civil command staff was doing little to mask their discontent from their visitor.

Banton himself seemed apologetic, but he had shown no sign of relenting when Sisko had pressed him on the topic earlier. Well, he's in the fire now, Sisko thought. Time to see if he could take the heat. "That's enough. If you have a grievance with Starfleet's policies, save it for later. Right now we've got a job to accomplish here." He turned to Banton. "Commander. You have the floor, hostile though it may be."

"Thank you, Captain." Banton tapped a few commands into his terminal and a tactical map of the Bajoran system and the surrounding region sprang up on the main viewscreen. "As you know, the wormhole is the weak point in the Dominion's invasion route. If we can control it, we can halt their advance."

"Unfortunately, we cannot spare the ships to guard this sector twenty four hours a day, and a Dominion attack could literally happen with little or no warning. We've designed several prototype defenses and weapons enhancements based on the Jem Hadar vessel you managed to acquire, and we can make this station far more effective in defending itself against their warships, but ultimately DS9 would be overrun. The Defiant will be similarly refitted, but she still won't be able to single-handedly fend off a determined assault."

"We're still considering destroying the wormhole in order to cut off any Dominion access to the Alpha Quadrant. Unfortunately, everyone back on Earth still remembers when you had attempted it. The Founders discovered your plans and foiled them, nearly destroying the entire Bajoran system in the process. No one wants a repeat of that incident." Kira opened her mouth to protest, but Sisko waved her off. Banton noticed the gesture and shifted gears slightly. "To be honest, a lot of people are optimistic about the Federation and the Dominion eventually coming to some sort of agreement, and they are reluctant to cut off our only access to the Gamma quadrant until there is absolutely no other alternative. As I said, we're still considering it, but unless things deteriorate tremendously, we'll probably not attempt it."

"That means restricting access, and so far we haven't been particularly effective in that department either. Traffic from the Gamma Quadrant is monitored exceptionally well, all things considered. But if a Founder is aboard one of those ships, we'll never know about it. Their ability to shape change at will for extended periods of time makes them virtually undetectable. Even our blood testing is criticized by a growing number of scientists who conjecture that the Founders can easily fool the present system. Captain Sisko, because a Founder tampered with your blood sample, you yourself were once mistaken for a changeling if I remember correctly."

"What it comes down to is this: the true threat from the Dominion is not the Jem Hadar. We can match their technology, and as long as we can keep our treaty with the Klingons intact, we can match their numbers."

"The real danger to the Federation and the entire Alpha Quadrant is the Founders themselves. We know so little about them that our best defenses are little more than guesswork based on a few rumors and a couple of reports. That's why I'm here now. I need to build a better understanding of the Founders, and no one knows them better than you."

Kira snorted. "No. No one knows them better than Odo, but you didn't think he should be here. He knows more about them than any of us, but Starfleet is too paranoid to trust him!"

Dax nodded. "I understand why Starfleet would be reluctant to work with a changeling after what happened on Earth. Four Founders managed to create so much havoc that Starfleet actually declared martial law. But Odo has never once given them a single reason to suspect his loyalties."

Banton held up his hands. "I'm not the one making this policy. I'm just here to gather information from you. You can either give me this information, or not. Either way, I report back to Admiral Nechayev upon my return to Starfleet. I'll assume no one here is interested in a personal visit from her."

Sisko's winced. Vice-Admiral Nechayev's 'visits' were the stuff of legend among the senior officers in the fleet. His voice rumbled across the table. "All right, people. I don't think shooting the messenger will solve this problem. I'm not any happier about this than you are, but if we can find an edge against the Dominion, then we've got to try!" Sisko glared at each of his officers in turn, waiting until he approved of what he saw. Finally, he turned back to Banton. "Commander, please proceed."

Banton smiled again, although the expression was much more strained this time. "Captain, I believe that the most effective means of gathering unbiased data would be to conduct individual interviews with your officers. With your permission, I'd like to begin with Major Kira." Sisko thought for a moment, then nodded. Banton looked over at Lieutenant Bashir. "Doctor, if you could be prepared to brief me on changeling physiology, I would appreciate it."

"Certainly, Commander. However, I must warn you that almost everything I know of their physical make-up I've gained by treating Constable Odo. If he has any peculiarities in his biology, I haven't recognized them as such. And as I've mentioned in previous reports to Starfleet, most of his physiology is still a mystery to me."

"That's fine, Lieutenant. I'm looking for raw data and professional opinions. Just be sure to let me know which is which."

The other officers filed out. Kira remained in her seat, obviously not thrilled about spending any more time with Banton than necessary. One look at Sisko before he left confirmed that she had little choice in the matter, and she fought to be cordial.

"All right, Commander. Let's get this over with."

--

Sisko's door chirped, alerting him to a visitor. He looked up and saw the distorted outline of Dax waiting to see him. "Come in, Dax."

The Trill swept through the massive hatch before it even finished opening, her expression one of controlled anger. Sisko braced himself for a tempest as he gestured to one of the empty seats on Dax's side of his desk. She flopped into it, never losing eye contact with Sisko. When she heard the hatch close behind her, she let loose. "Benjamin, Commander Banton is a complete idiot."

Sisko steepled his fingers in front of his chin. "Would you care to elaborate on that?"

Dax looked up at the support beam running across the ceiling. "Where do I start? Every time I answered one of his questions, he quizzed me on my answer." Her voice dropped into a reasonable imitation of Banton's. "'Are you certain of that, Lieutenant Commander? Is it possible that this isn't a more reasonable explanation?' It was almost as if he didn't want to believe what I was telling him."

"He might simply be trying to be thorough."

"No, Captain. I think he has pre-set opinions about the Founders that he wants us to reinforce. I don't know how much influence he has back at Earth, but I get the impression that he's more interested in having our endorsements of his ideas than hearing what we truly believe." Dax looked calmer now, but Sisko knew that underneath her composed facade, she was still boiling.

"I'll have a little talk with Commander Banton when he's through with Julian. You had better get some sleep, Old Man. I seem to remember your name on the duty roster for 0600 tomorrow."

Dax smiled wearily. "When it rains, it pours. Thanks, Benjamin."

Sisko watched as Dax left his office, wondering what Banton's true agenda was.

--

Quark sat in his quarters, tapping away at the terminal that he had personally modified. It was a standard station computer access terminal by its appearance, but Quark had added a few bits and pieces of hardware that gave him almost unlimited, if somewhat sporadic, access to most of the Federation's databases. He usually spent a few hours a week verifying rumors that his many informants brought with them during their frequent trips through DS9 on their way to unsavory deals in the area. Most of what he learned was that his informants were overpaid, but he enjoyed having the ability to check their stories out almost as much as he enjoyed hearing them in the first place.

Today was a search of a more personal nature. Quark had seen the anger in Odo's eyes back in the bar. The Changeling was positively livid about being left out of the meeting, and Quark wanted to know why. Odo normally displayed a mix of contempt and indifference whenever a Starfleet officer stopped by to waste their time with some new policy or inspection. This was definitely a different situation entirely, and the Ferengi intended to find out all about it.

Unfortunately, he was running into obstacle after obstacle. No record of Commander Banton's visit was anywhere in the normal Starfleet personnel transfer/temporary duty files. Obviously the entire trip was classified, but Quark was usually able to glean at least a hint of data about such missions if he dug hard enough.

Then he accessed Commander Banton's official record and studied it for several minutes. The commander had been all over Starfleet during the fourteen years he had served, functioning in billets too numerous to mention. He had spent the last three years as a Tactical Researcher at Starfleet Command in San Francisco, no doubt studying ways to repel the Dominion.

Obviously a desk captain now.

Still, there was nothing to indicate anything special about . . .

Quark highlighted one area of Banton's records. Now there was something unusual. Nothing significant, unless of course you were looking for it. To Quark, this was definitely out of the ordinary.

A chime sounded from his terminal, and an auto-scramble window came up on his screen. He started to activate the scrambler, but decided to wait for a moment. Only one person would be monitoring his terminal at this late hour, and Quark knew Odo would find Banton's record as interesting as he did. He paused for a full minute, then activated the scrambler and shut down his terminal. Odo would no doubt assume he was still rifling around through Federation records and spend fruitless hours trying to break through Quark's scrambling. Quark would be dreaming about gold-pressed latinum well before then, and enjoying the thought of Odo's frustration.

Still, Quark knew that Odo would eventually turn his attention back to Banton's records. He set his terminal for an early wake-up call. He was almost willing to pay money to watch the fireworks. Almost.

--

Sisko stood at the end of the briefing table opposite Banton, his hands on his hips. "Commander Banton, I'm concerned about the turn this process is taking. I'm certain the feelings of my officers are painfully obvious to you by now. Yet you seem to be aggravating them. Major Kira stormed into my office right after her interview, claiming that you wouldn't know a tactic if you sat on one. Lieutenant Commander Dax feels that you are merely trying to drum up support for some pet project you are working on, and that our honest opinions are meaningless to you if they don't agree with what you already believe. Frankly, I'm not enthusiastic about putting the rest of my command staff through this treatment. If nothing else, I doubt Commander Worf will take kindly to your current methods."

Banton nodded soberly. "I see your point, Captain. I apologize for antagonizing your officers, but I've been given very explicit instructions from Admiral Nechayev. I am to gather this information in as discrete a manner as possible, and verify it to the best of my ability. If I'm coming off as an ignorant blowhard or a skeptic, then I can only say that I'll try harder to dispel that impression, but this mission takes priority over the feelings of your crew. If they can't comply with their orders, then perhaps they need a little extra discipline."

Sisko's countenance darkened noticeably. "I don't think that's for you to decide, Commander." He rubbed his chin as he forced the anger to the back of his mind. "I'll talk to my officers. But I want some more effort from you as well. Defending against the Dominion is more important that their feelings, or your methods. If necessary, we'll change them both. Understood?"

Banton smiled, another forced expression. "Of course, Captain."

Sisko turned and left the briefing room. Once he ensured that nothing exciting was going on in Ops, he entered his office where Bashir was waiting to brief him. "Well, Doctor. How was your interview?" Sisko eased into the chair behind his desk and studied the young lieutenant. Julian looked as though he had been up for days.

Bashir shoved his fingers through his hair as he slumped in his seat. "More like an oral exam. I thought I was Starfleet's expert on changeling physiology, but Commander Banton made me feel like a first year intern."

Sisko cocked an eyebrow. "How so?"

Julian shook his head. "He knows so much about them! He proved half my theories about them inaccurate within the first ten minutes of my brief! The man has studied them - closely. I'm certain of it."

Sisko rocked back in his chair and swiveled toward the stars shining through the window behind his desk. "That seems unlikely. If Starfleet has managed to capture a changeling, I'm certain you would have been called back to assist in the examination. Not to mention that the Jem Hadar would have been pouring through the wormhole and fighting to their deaths to rescue him."

"Well Captain, all I know is Commander Banton knows a lot more about the Founders than I would expect a tactical officer to know. Has he shared any of his information with you yet? I was under the impression that he was supposed to be asking us about the plausibility of some of Starfleet's hypothetical defenses. I haven't heard a single one yet. I assume that's because my perspective is of a medical nature, but Kira and Dax mentioned a similar lack of information coming from Commander Banton."

Just then the intercom chirped. "Odo to Sisko. I need to see you immediately, Captain." Odo's voice sounded more terse than ever.

"Come to my office, Constable." Sisko turned to Bashir. "Do you have anything else to report?"

"Just one, and it may not amount to anything. Banton seemed much more interested in Odo than in any of the Founders we've encountered. Specifically Odo's psychological profile. Banton seems almost obsessed with Odo's motives for staying here at DS9."

Sisko nodded. "Noted. If you think of anything else, let me know immediately. I'm starting to doubt the objectivity of Commander Banton. Dismissed."

Before the heavy door even began closing after Bashir departed, Odo stepped in. "Captain."

"How can I help you, Constable?"

Odo paced in front of Sisko's desk, obviously agitated. "I was doing some routine surveillance of a certain Ferengi's computer activities. Naturally I found him browsing through Starfleet records somewhat outside the normal access range of a bartender. He detected my signal and scrambled his terminal, but not before I was able to download some of the files he was scanning. If I may?" Odo gestured to Sisko's desk terminal.

Benjamin nodded, and Odo called up the files he had intercepted. Sisko studied the monitor, then glanced up sharply at Odo. "Quark was digging into Banton's credit records? Do you know why?"

Odo grunted. "Probably wanted to figure out how much he could take the commander for with one of his many swindles. However, this caught my attention." Odo highlighted a portion of the record and expanded it to fill the screen.

Sisko stared at the screen for several minutes, then frowned. "Commander Banton leads a very Spartan existence, doesn't he?"

"I'll say. So Spartan that he hasn't made a food or clothing purchase yet. In my experience, that's rather odd for a human."

"But not for a changeling." Sisko looked up at Odo. "So how do you wish to handle this, Constable?"

"My security teams are already in place. With your permission, I'd like to apprehend him."

Sisko thought about that, then shook his head. "I'm not sure that's necessary yet. Perhaps a chat with you might clear things up. After all, I understand he's been asking about you quite a bit. If he is a changeling, that would explain why he wasn't willing to be near you. Changelings can detect each other by touch, correct?"

"Yes, Captain, and sometimes by close proximity."

Sisko rose from his seat. "All right, Constable. Let's see what our Commander Banton has to say for himself."

--

"Captain, I must insist that the Constable leave immediately. My orders are explicit. He is not to have any part in these briefings." Banton looked nervously over Sisko's shoulder at Odo. The Constable stood just inside the briefing room door, smiling smugly at Banton.

Sisko shook his head. "I don't think so, Commander. You see, Constable Odo has more knowledge about the Founders than all of my command staff put together. For Starfleet to ignore that is foolish, and Starfleet may be stubborn and arrogant, but they are not fools. I think you don't want Odo here, and I want to know why. If you have some sort of phobia concerning changelings, then you're in the wrong job."

"That's not it at all! I'm just trying to follow my orders."

"Show them to me."

"I don't have them! They were verbal orders from Vice-Admiral Nechayev."

Sisko smiled. "Fine. Then let's call her and see if we can work something out."

"Captain, I . . . NO!!" Banton was looking down in horror at the tentacle wrapped around his ankle. Sisko's gaze followed it back to where it emanated from Odo's foot.

Odo was tapping his communicator. "Security to the briefing room! Set phasers for maximum stun!"

Banton shifted his leg away from the pseudopod that Odo had used to reveal him, then backed away from Sisko, looking wildly around the room for an escape route. In an instant he shifted into the form of a leathery flyer and darted toward one of the ventilation grates. When he hit it, he melted through the grate and disappeared. Odo was after him in a flash pausing just long enough to alert his security staff. "Initiate plan A! Now!" Then he too vanished into the shaft.

Sisko dashed out of the briefing room and slammed his hand on the nearest control panel in Ops. Immediately the station went to red alert. "All hands, this is Sisko! A changeling is loose aboard the station. All non-essential personnel report to your quarters immediately! This is not a drill!"

Ops burst into frantic activity as the ensign on shift began coordination the distribution of the security teams. Four man Starfleet security teams armed with phaser rifles spread out throughout the station, ready to stun anything that moved.

--

Odo was amazed at how quickly Banton was moving through the ventilation shaft. Several times he had almost lost the fleeing Founder, only to glimpse a shadow disappearing down a side vent. He was in the form of an Intrindian rat, a creature capable of running through burrows at over thirty kilometers per hour, but he was still barely keeping pace with Banton. It was only a matter of time until Banton lost him.

But Odo suspected that Banton was probably headed for his ship. He shot down a different duct, heading toward the docking ring.

--

"Any sign of them yet, Chief?"

O'Brien was studying the instruments on his console. "Nothing yet, Captain. These Cardassian sensors are distributed well enough that if they were somewhere where a Bajoran might hide, they'd be detected. But with a shapeshifter, the entire station is accessible."

"Sisko to security. Send a team to guard the airlock leading to Commander Banton's ship."

O'Brien looked up at Sisko in surprise. "Banton's ship isn't docked to the station anymore."

Sisko whirled on O'Brien. "What!?"

"Odo ordered us to evacuate every ship. Even the runabouts are off the station."

"When?"

O'Brien checked his console chronometer. "Just moments ago. Fortunately, the only ships here were Banton's courier and a Bolian freighter. Apparently Odo sent a security team to take care of the courier, and he apparently spoke to the Bolian captain himself. At any rate, both ships were undocked within thirty seconds of Odo's command."

Sisko sincerely hoped that it had been quickly enough.

--

Banton poured out of the wiring conduit. It had been a tight squeeze, even for a changeling, but now he was here. In a moment, he would be safely on his way to the Gamma Quadrant. He started toward the airlock when movement in the shadows caught his eye. Odo stepped into the light. Banton started to shift again, but Odo's words halted him. "Don't try it, Banton. I can follow you wherever you go. Besides, as a precaution, we've had all ships disengaged from the docking ring. You're trapped on this station."

Banton dashed to the docking hatch and peered through the airlock window, only to see stars where the side of his ship should have been. He considered fleeing again, then slumped in defeat and shifted to the more natural humanoid form of the Founders. He looked up at Odo, his face twisted in frustration. "They warned me not to come. They said you were an enemy of our people, and that you would betray me. I didn't care. I had to know."

Odo cocked his head. "Know what?"

"Why you've turned your back on our people. Why you've chosen to remain with the solids."

Odo was puzzled. "You should already know that. You were there when I was judged by the Great Link, weren't you?" Odo still had painful memories of the bizarre trial on the Founder homeworld that had resulted in his being human for several months. He had been one with every changeling on the planet then, his thoughts laid bare for all to see.

"No, Odo. I wasn't. I returned to the Great Link only a month ago, after finally realizing my true nature and returning home. It was then that I learned about the renegade changeling that was siding with the solids in the Alpha Quadrant. I absorbed what I could about you from them, but still understanding eluded me. So I came here, hoping to find out myself why you've chosen this life." His shoulders slumped and he looked despondent. "Now I'll never know. I'll end up in a bottle in some Federation lab, being used as a test subject for whatever terrible weapons the solids decide to develop to use against our people."

Odo was stunned. "You're an adolescent, aren't you! You were sent out to uncharted space, just like me. Sent out to learn about the solids and report back to the Link."

Odo turned back to Banton. The changeling stood there, staring at him. His voice was quiet, the voice of a condemned man waiting for his judgment. "So what happens now?"

Odo peered at Banton. "You really don't know why I haven't returned to the Founders?"

"No. I saw glimpses of your memories, but they were scattered like wisps of fog in a breeze. It almost seemed as if the other changelings were hiding them from me. That's why I came here. I thought if I could speak to the solids who are harboring you, I could learn what your true motives were."

"Why didn't you just ask me?"

Banton laughed bitterly. "I'm young, but I'm not stupid. The solids here are deathly afraid of us. To announce my presence would have set them on their guard. I don't think I could expect to learn the unbiased truth under those circumstances, do you? Besides, you are with them. I was afraid you'd turn me over to them if you found out who I was."

Odo was silent for a long moment, then he peered intently at Banton. "If you truly seek to understand me, there is a way." He held out his hand to the startled changeling.

"But, I thought . . . I thought you despised contact with the Founders."

Odo shook his head sadly. "No, Banton. I despise the things my people do in order to ensure their superiority over the solids. I don't despise my people any more than you do. If I cared a little less for these solids, I'd be on the homeworld right now. But as long as I am at odds with their ideology, I can never rejoin them."

Odo sighed. "My choice has left me incredibly lonely at times, however. I would enjoy the opportunity to link with one of my people."

Banton paused for a moment, then tentatively took Odo's hand. Their fingers melted together into the shimmering substance that was a changeling's true form.

--

"So we're just letting him go?!" Kira's tone was one of near total disbelief.

"That's right, Major. Constable Odo feels that Banton was here on a personal mission that had no impact on the security of the Alpha Quadrant. I'm acting on his recommendation." Sisko and Kira watched as the tiny courier ship slowly backed away from the docking ring and arced for the wormhole. When it drew near the location, the wormhole burst forth in all its scintillating glory. Banton's ship quickly disappeared into it, and a moment later the wormhole collapsed in on itself, leaving no indication it had ever existed.

Kira was less than pleased with Sisko's answer. "I doubt Starfleet will be happy to learn that you captured a Founder, then let him just walk away. I know how often they've wanted to borrow Odo for 'a few tests' on Earth. Handing them a Founder could have eased some of the pressure."

Sisko nodded slowly, his gaze still fixed on the area where the wormhole lurked. "Yes, and no doubt sent the Jem Hadar into a frenzy as they tried to recover one of their 'gods'. I think we've done more for the Alpha Quadrant's protection today than ever before."

Kira shrugged and wandered off to monitor a gathering of Bajorans on the Promenade. Sisko watched her leave, then headed to his office. He knew that his decision had been an unpopular one, but he felt good about it. He was certain he had done the right thing.

--

Odo had also watched Banton's ship depart. He felt a sadness as he turned back to the reports on his desk, for once again he was alone among the solids.

But perhaps not forever. Banton had been fearful of him, but only because of the misinformation that he had received from the other Founders. When Banton had left, he had done so with much to think about. Odo wondered how the Great Link would receive him upon his return. He knew no harm would come to Banton, but would they try to force their opinions of Odo onto him? Odo had no doubt he would see Banton again.

He hoped he would be seeing a friend.


End file.
